Cable-making apparatus



Feb- 18, 1941- G. E. HENNING r-:TAL

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CABLE-MAKING APPARATUS/ Original Filed Dec. 13, 1938 l1 Sheets-Sheet 4 B Rmwfem ATTORNEY Feb. 18, 1941. e. HENNlN Erm.

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CABLE-MAKING APPARATUS original Filed Dec. 13, 19:58

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v oABn-EHAAKING APPARATUS Original Filed Dec. 13, 1938 1l Sheets-Sheet 7 Feb. 18, 194.1. G. E. Hr-:NNING l-:TAL

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Feb. 18, 1941. G E, HENNlNG ETAL 2,231,910

CABLE-MAKING APRARATUS Original FiledDeC. l3, 1938 1l Sheets-Sheet 9 Feb 18, 1941. G. E. HENNING ETAL CABLE-MAKING APPARATUS Original Filed Dec. 13, 1938 l1 She'ts-Sheet l0 Ew r me s

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Feb. 18, 1941. G; E. HENNING ETAL 1l Sheets-Sheet ll /N VEN TORS www mmv WNW@ v/^ .wm w EE. H cx M EJ. m Y n; awww R WoNS cv LWN NHJMY 50.1. B H1.. .H ELT GF. S Vl B NN* Patented Feb. 18, 11941 CABLE-MAKING APPARATUS George E. Henning, Joppa," Md., and Fred V. Johnson, deceased, late of Baltimore, Md., by Lila T. Johnson, executrix, Baltimore, Md., and Sigurd Thronsen, Baltimore, Md., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.' Y., a corporation of New York Original application December 13, 1938, Serial No.

245,540. Divided and thisapplication February 7, 1940, Serial No. 317,656

12 Claims.

cember 13, 1938, covering Cable-making apparatus.'

Recent developments in the communications field have indicated the desirability of providing' cables for certain purposes comprised of -a plurality of strands of conducting material spaced one from another 'and sheathed with a suitable covering without using a solid layer of dielectric between the strand-s but rather by providing washers or-spacing members placed at regularly spaced intervals throughout the length of the cable for holding the conducting strands in spaced relation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cable making apparatus for :assembling wires and their insulating spacers in a predetermined relation with a high degree of accuracy.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for making a cable of four wires twisted with respect to each other and spa-ced one from another by spacers posiltioned throughout the length of the cable at predetermined intervals comprises folr major portions, which are: a wire-feeding mechanism, a spacer and wire assembling mechanisms, a taping mechanism, and a twisting and takeup mechanism. four reels of wire are positioned to be fed to an assembling apparatus by means of suitable guides which direct the wire into slots formed in spacers fed in a predetermined path by the spacer and ,wire assembling mechanism. The spacer and wire assembling mechanism includes a hopper and a spacer-'feedingdevice associated therewith for feeding spacers one at a time into a chainlike spacer-carrying device which advances the spacers in their predetermined spacedrelation while the wires are for-ced into slots in the spac-4 ers. At the end of the spacer and wire assembling fixture, micrometrically adjustable rolls are provided for forcing or rolling the wires a predetermined distance into the slots in the spacers and a setof guide members are provided for [holding the wire and spacers in a predetermined plane during the assemblyv thereof. The apparatus for sheathing the formed cable and for'.

twisting the wires is positioned-adjacent the wire and spacer assembling mechanism and comprises a series of taping heads and a twisting In this embodiment of the invention,4

takeup head, which imparts a spiral twist to the assembled spacers and vwires as they are fed through the taping mechanism. The taping mechanism during the passage of the wire Atherethrough applies paper tapes, a copper tape and two steel tapes to the cable as it is drawn to the twisting taleup head.

A better understanding -of the invention may be had by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational view. of the wire supply and spacer-assembling mechanism;

Fig. 2 `is a plan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; A

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the taping mechanism and the twisting takeup mechanism, and when placed to the right of Fig. 2, discloses generally the entire plan view of the apparatus;

Fig. 4 is aside elevational view of the taping mechanism and the twisting takeup'head and when placed to the right of Fig. 1, together with Fig. 1, discloses generally the side elevational view of the entire apparatus;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side-eleva tional view of the hopper and a portion of the spacer feeding mechanism, or, ln other words, that portion of the machine which may be seen when viewing the apparatus-'along the line 5--5 of Fig.- 2 in the direction of the arrows, parts of this figure being broken away to more clearly show the construction of the apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5 in .the direction of the arrows;

Fig. '1 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5 in the'direction of the arrows showing some ofthe details of the construction of the hopper mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line.8`-8 of Fig. 6 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 9 9 of Fig. 8 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational View of a portion of the Wire and spacer assembling apparatus Showing rone of the micrometrically adjustable elements for setting a wire into the spacers, parts of the apparatus .being broken away to conserve space, and 'the line Ill-I0 of Fig. 2;

the apparatus which may be seen looking in the direction of the'arrows along .the line of Fig. 10 in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 12 and 13 are fragmentary sectional views taken on the lines |2-|2 and I3-|3, respectively, of Fig. 10 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the elements which force the wires into the spacers if they have not been properly positioned by the other wiresetting elements and shows those parts which may be viewed along the line |4|4 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 15 and 16 are fragmentary sectional and plan views, respectively, taken along the lines |5|5 and |6|6, respectively, of Figs, 14 in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 17 and 18 are enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional views taken substantially along the lines |1|1 and |8-|8, respectively, of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, of the paper tape serving mechanism showing the apparatus, which may be viewed looking in the direction of the arrows along the line |9| 9 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 20 -20 of Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows;

I Fig. 21 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2 |-2| of Fig. 19 in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 21-A and 2l-B are sectional and plan views, respectively, of portions of the taping heads for applying the copper and steel tapes,

respectively, and are similarv to the structure shown in the right end of Fig. 19;

Fig. 22 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, of the twisting takeup mechanism, as viewed along the line 22--22 of Fig. 3-in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 23.--23 of Fig. 22 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 24--24 of Fig. 22 in the direction of the arrows on a somewhat reduced scale;

Fig. 25 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional `view taken on the line 25-25 of Fig. 23 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 26 is a sectional view taken on the line 26-26 of Fig. 25 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 27 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 21-21 of Fig. 23 in the direction of the arrows; A

Fig. 28 is an enlarged view of the completed cable with part of the wrappings of paper, copper and steel partially unwound therefrom to illustrate the construction of the completed cable; and

Fig. 29 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken through the completed cable shown in Fig. 28, the section being enlarged and exaggerating the thickness of the tapes to more clearly show them.

Before referring in detail to the drawings, it will be noted that the detailed description of the structure shown thereon has been divided into three parts in order to simplify the description thereof. These three parts comprise in detail, the same parts have been given the same reference numerals throughout the several views and the rst part of the apparatus to be described is the wire and spacer assembling mechanism.

Wire and spacer assembling mechanism In the present embodiment of the invention, four wires 35, 36, 31 and 38 are tobe assembled with spacers 39. The spacers are flat rubber discs having `slots 40, 4|, 42 and 43 formed therein into which the apparatus forces the wires 35, 36, 31 and 38, respectively. In the drawings the slots 40, 4|, 42 and 43 have been designated only in Fig. 29 since the showing thereof in all views would obscure some features of the apparatus. The wires 35, 36, 31 and 38 are drawn in the operation of the machine from four supply spools 44, 45, 46 and 41 and directed through suitably tapered guides 48; 49, 50 and 5| to wire straightening devices 52, 53, 54 and 55, respectively. The supply spools 44, 45, 46 and 41 are shown in dot and dash lines in Figs. 1 and 2 and may be of any suitable type having caps 56, 51, 58 and 59 positioned thereon for permitting the easy withdrawal of the wire from the spools by the operation of the apparatus. Adjacent the supply spools 44, 45 and 48, there is a standard 60l which supports three arms 6|, 62 and 63, which have the guides 48, 49 and 50 mounted in the ends thereof and which support the wire and direct .the wire from the spools 44, 45 and 46 to the disc and wire assembling mechanism, the three wires 35, 36 and 31 being the bottom and two sides wires of the cable while the wires and spacers are being assembled.

The hopper which feeds the spacers 39 into association with the wires 35, 36 and 31 is shown in detail in Figs. 5, 6, '7, 8 and 9 and comprises a perforated barrel 15 mounted on a sleeve 16, which is, in turn, fixed to a stud shaft 11. A hollow standard 18 supports the stud shaft 11 and the movable and stationary parts of the hopper mechanism. The sleeve 16 has three arms 19, and 8| extending outwardly therefrom which constitute a spider for supporting a stationary ring 82 and a tube 83. An enlarged portion 84 formed integral with the sleeve 16 (Figs. 5, 6 and 7) has a slot 65 formed therein for receiving the tube 83. Seated in a cavity 86 in the enlarged portion 84 is a coil spring 81, which normally urges the tube 83 to the right (Fig. 6) in the slot 85. The stationary ring 82 has an arcuately shaped groove formed therein which is in communication with a passageway 96 formed in the arm 80 of the spider. The passageway 96 in' the arm 80 of the spider in turn communicates with a passageway 91 formed in the stud shaft 11, which inA turn is interconnected with a passageway 98 leading into the hollow standard 18, which is, in turn connected to a suitable evacuating pump (not shown) whereby a suction is applied through the standard 18, stud shaft 11 andarm 80 to the groove 95.

Rotatably mounted upon the stud shaft 11 is a. collar |00 carrying on its left end a disc |0| of slightly smaller diameter than the stationary ring 82. This disc |0| has a ring |02 xed thereto by means of screws |03 and has a series of holes |04 equally spaced about its lefthand is rotated, as will be described hereinafter, the holes |04 will be brought into communication with the groove 95 and the suction applied to the groove 95 will be also applied successively to the holes |04 as they move into association with the groove. Each of the holes |04 extends partway through the ring |02 and into communication with a radially extending hole |05, of which there is one drilled from the inner edge of the ring |02 to communicate with each of the holes |04. Each of the holes |05 is positioned in the center of a depression |08 in the ring |02 and will tend to hold a spacer 39 in position in the-depression |08 as the ring |02 rotates. It will thus be apparent that the suction applied to the ring |02 will hold spacers l39, which have fallen into the depressions |08 by gravity, in the depression |08 as long as the holes |04 are in communication with the groove 95 in the stationary ring 82. The disc is driven in a clockwise direction (Figs. and 8) by means of a sprocket ||0 (Fig. 6) fixed to the sleeve |00 and driven by a chain (Figs. 2 and 6) which is in turn actuated by a speed reducer |2 driven from a motor I3 shown inFig. 1.

Mounted at the left end of the sleeve |00 is a v-ibrator disc |4 having a series of depressions ||5 formed therein for cooperation with a roller ||6 mounted in a bearing ||1 which surrounds the tube 83. The tube 83 will thus be vibrated against the pressure of the spring 81 and any of the spacers 39 which fall into the tube will be' shaken tocause them to assume a nat position in the bottom of the tube. The bottom end of the tube 83 is pivotally mounted in a guide member I|8 fixed to the stationary ring 82 and the upper end of the tube has a trough ||9 mounted on the ring |02 while theyare carried through' that portion of the rotation of the ring |02, where gravity would tend to draw them out of the depressions |08. It will be noted, by reference to Fig, 5, that the groove 95 extends from a point just below the'point where the parts would tend to fall out of the ring |02 to a point directly above the trough I9 so that the spacers picked up by the ring |02 at the bottom of the hopper will be carried to the top thereof and into .position over the trough ||9 where the suction on the spacers will be relieved due to the holes |04 moving out of association with the arcuately shaped groove 95. The face of the perforated barrel 15 has a relatively large opening |20 therein through which parts may be placed in the hopper and a cover plate |2| is provided for closing this opening.

Rotatably mounted on the sleeve .|00 (Fig. 6)

is a disc |30, which is somewhat larger in size` than the disc |0|, and which has a rim |3| extending outwardly therefrom and surrounding the ring |02. The peripheral edge of the disc |30 has gear teeth |32 formed thereon whereby the disc |30 is driven in a counterclockwise direction (Figs. 5 and 8) and the rim |3| has a brake band |33 almost completely surrounding it for applying a drag to the disc |30 so that its rotation will be smooth and in timed relation to the driving of other apparatus, to be described hereinafter. Positioned on the left face (Fig.v 6) of the rim |3| and held in place thereon by the screws |34 is a spacer advancing and tilting assembly designated generally by the numeral |35.

The assembly |35 comprises a ring |36, L- shaped in cross section, and having a series of apertures |31 equally spaced about its horizontally extending arm. These apertures |31 are slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the spacers 39. A spacer ring |38 is seated in the angle formed by the junction of the two arms of the L-shaped ring |36 and has cooperating therewith a flat ring |39, rectangular in cross section,

' through which the screws |34 extend. The ilat ring |39 and the spacer rings |38 have interposed between them a plurality of spacer tilting members |40, which are flat on two sides and rounded on their other surface, and which are so mounted between the flat ring |39 and the'spacer ring |38 and some of them have apertures through which the screws |34 extend. The ring |36 is of such diameter that its horizontally extending Iarm will just engage the lower end of theguide member ||8 as the ring is rotated. The portion of the horizontally extending arm of the ring |36, which engages the undersurface of the guide member H8, is of such thickness that spacers 39 in the guide member ||8, which incidentally is provided with a window |42, will drop one at a. time into the apertures |31 in the ring |36. A plate |43 is positioned to engagethe outer surface of the ring |36 for ashort distance adjacent the guide member ||8 and supports the spacers 39 while they arein the apertures |31. It will thus be apparent that spacers 39 Will drop from the guide member ||8 onto the plate |43 each 'time an aperture |31 comes in direct alignment with the open end of the guide member ||8 and that spacers will thus be drawn from the bottom of the pile in the guide member ||8 one at a time and will be moved along the plate |43 until they reach its right end (Fig. 8), where they will drop on? the plate |43 and into position between mitted to drop from their position between the tilting` members.

The disc |30 is driven by a gear |50, which meshes with the gear teeth |32 formed on the periphery of the disc and the gear is mounted upon a shaft |5|, which also carries an idler sprocket |52. The idler sprocket |52 supports a. carrier ,chain |53, which serves to carry the spacers 39 while they are being assembled with the wires 35, 36, 31 and 38. The carrier chain |53 comprises a plurality of links |54 and |55, which are substantially `U-shaped in configuration, as may be seen by reference to Fig. 9, and arev interconnected by pins |56. All of the links |54 and |55 have upwardly extending projections |51 in each of which there is formed a slot |58 for receiving the wire 35. The upwardly extending projections |51 formed on the links |54 and cooperate to provide spaced-apart portions between veach pair of links wherein the spacers 39 may be larried through the spacer and wire assembling section of the machine. The links |54 are somewhat larger in cross section than thelinks I 55 and have projecting ears |59 which extend over projecting ears |60 formed on the links |54. Positioned within each pair of projecting ears |60 is a roller |6|, which engages in the teeth of sprocket |52 and rides on a plate |62 after they leave the sprocket. The plate |62 is positioned between a pair of spacer plates |63 and |64, of which there are provided a plurality l spaced throughout the length of the plate |62.

|1|, to which the brake band |33 is tied by means of a brake rod |12, one end of which is xed to the tie bar I1| and the other end of which extends through the tie bar and is normally held taut on the rim |3|l by means of a coil spring |13 surrounding the end of the rod |12 and interposed betweena nut |14 on the rod and the tie bar '|`1|. The supporting plate |65 also supports the plates |43 and |44, the plate |44 being formed integral with a bracket |15 which is iixed to the plate |65 and has an extending portion |16 on which the plate |43 is mounted. The left end (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) of the supporting plates |65 and |66 have a wire guide |85 mounted thereon for directing the strand of wire 35 into the slots |58 in the links of the carrier chain.

Since the idler sprocket |52 and the discv |30 are geared together, it is believed that it will be apparent that the spacer advancing and tilting assembly |35 will be rotated in timed relation to the movement of the carrier chain |53. Reference to Fig. 8 will make it clear that the spacers 39, which are dropped into the space between the spacer tilting members |40, will be carried along on the guide plate |44 until they come to the end of the plate |44 and-thereafter will drop oi the plate |44 into the slots between the links on the carrier chain |53. Since the assembly |35 andV chain |53 are driven in synchronism, one

spacer 39 will be dropped in each slot between the links of the carri r chain and will rest on the wire 35, which is in the slots |58 in the links |54 and |55, a pair'of guide members |86 and |81 being provided for holding the spacers 39 against movement to the right or left (Figs. 6 and 9) and a pair of guide members |88 and |89 being provided for guiding the carrier chain during its movement. The guide members |86 and |81 are mounted on the guide members |88 and |89, respectively, which are in turn positioned on top of the supporting plates |65and |66. The spacers thus deposited in the carrier chain will be moved to the right (Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 8) past a brush |90, which is rotated at relatively high speed by means of a belt |9| driven from the speed reducer ||2 (Figs. 2 and 5). Thebrush |90 is mounted upon a bracket |92 which is secured to the plate |65 and extends over the guide members |86 and |81. The brush |90 is rotated at right angles or obliquely to the direction of travel of the carrier chain and will thus spin the spacers in the chain until one of the slots in the spacer engages the wire 35 and the spacer drops down away from the brush.

A blast of air delivered from a jet, such as is shown .at |93, may be directed to the periphery of the spacers tov supplement the brush |90 or the brush |90 may be omitted and the jet |93 con-' nected to a suitable source of air -under pressure may be used te rotateV the spacers until the bot-- tom slot in the spacer engages with the wire 35. The blast of air will also remove any foreign matter from the surfaces 0f the spacers.

As the spacers are carried to the right by the carrier chain |53, and after they have passed the brush, any spacer which was not properly seated on the wires 35, that is, any spacer which did not have one of its slots brought into registry with the wire 35, will be raised up above the top of the guide members |86 and |81, and `as it moves forward, it will engage the underside ofv a bar (Fig. l0) which is slidable vertically on a bridge member |96 and a pair of bridge membersv |98 and |99. The bar |95 is held in the bridge mem-- and over the carrier chain with the spacers on it,

whereas the bridge members |98 and v|99 are mounted on shouldered plates |83 and |04, which are in turn iixed to the supporting plates |65 and |66. The bridge member |96 has a block 0f insulating material 205 mounted thereon which carries la contact 206 adapted to be engaged by a contact 201 mounted on the bar |95 if the bar |95 is moved upwardly by a spacer not properly placed on the carrier chain. If the spacers 39, as they pass the bar |95, are in the proper position, an extending portion 208 of the bar will register-with a slot in the spacer, as shown in Fig. 12. However,

' if any spacer happens to be turned out of its norand notifying the operator, by either .an audible or visible signal, of the reason for the machine stopping. The bridge members |98 and |93 are bolted together by machine screws 2|0 and serve another purpose, that is, they cooperate with a substantially triangularly shaped member 209 in- A terposed between them to serve las a guide for the wire 38.

Positioned closely adjacent the right end (Fig. 10) of the bridge members |98 and |99 and the triangularly shaped member 209 is the first pressure roll 220, of a series of pressure rolls, which serves to force the wire 38 rmly into the slots in the spacers 39. -As may be seen, by reference to Figs. 10 and 17, the pressureroll 220 has a reduced section 22| at its periphery, which extends t into the uppermost slot in the spacers 39 and will force the wire 38 down into the slot. The pressure roll is mounted upon a shaft 222 formed integral with a block 223 fixed in a plate 224, which is dove-tailed, as shown at 225, in a plate 226, which in turn is secured to a mounting bracket 221. The bracket 221 is suitably fixed to the supporting plate |56 and supports the plate 226, which has a hollow central portion 228 through which a screw 229 extends. Fixed, to the upper end of the screw 229 is a knurled handle 230 having a reduced portion 23| on which there are suitably inscribed markings for indicating the degree of rotationl of the screw 229 with respect to the block 223 in which it is threaded. The markings on the reduced portion 23| cooperate with a reference mark on a collar 232, which is keyed in the plate 226 by means oi a tapered pin 233, and cooperates with a shoulder 234 formed on the screw 229 to hold the screw fixed against vertical Cil Cil

movement. A set screw 235 is threaded into the collar 232 and may be set against the shank of the screw 229 to hold it in any one of its adjusted positions. It is believed to be apparent, by reference to Figs. 10 and 17, that rotation of the screw 228 will change the position of the pressure roll 228 with respect to the spacers 39 carried by the carrier chain |53.

A pair of brackets 245 and 246 are mounted on the supporting plates and |66 and adjustably support pressure rolls 241 and 248, respectively. These two pressure rolls are identical in construction with the pressure roll 228 and serve to accurately position the wires 36 and 31 in the slots in the spacers 38 as the spacers are moved past them.

The wires 36 and 31 (Figs. 10 and 11) are .passed through slots 246 and 258 in the shouldered plates |83 and |84, respectively, and the plates |83 and |84 have air passages 25| and 252 formed therein connected to a suitable source of air under pressure by pipes 2 53 and 254, respectively. Th'efair under pressure passing through the passages 25| and 252 is directed by a pair of jets 255 .and 256 onto spacers carried by the carrier chain |53 so that the spacers will be forced against the right-hand links |54 and |55 as the spacers move into association with the presser roll 228, whereby the spacers, in being forced onto their associated wires, will be spaced equal distances one from another. and spacers will continue to move to the 4right as the carrier chain |53 advances, and in so moving to the right, will arrive at the position shown in detail in Figs. 14 and 15, where the side slots in the spacers are engaged by two stabilizing ns 268 and 26| mounted on the supporting plates |65 and |66. These stabilizing iins will restrain the spacers against movement vertically .as they are moved to the right in a horizontal plane and will carry them past a sensing device, designated generally by the numeral 262 which comprises an IL-shaped sensing finger 263 pivotally mounted on a bridge 264 which is carried by the supporting plates |65 and |66. The sensing finger 263 is pivoted on the bridge 264 and has a horizontally extending surface 265 which engages the upper surface of the spacers as they pass by and this surface 265 is of sufficient length to span a little more than two of the spacers in position in the carrier chain. If a, spacer is missing from the groupI strung on the four wires, the sensing finger 263 will tilt in a clockwise direction to bring a contact 266, mounted upon its vertically extending portion, into engagement with a fixed contact 261 to establish circuit connections, not shown, which willcause the machine to stop and indicate the condition which exists.

Shortly after the assembled wires and spacers pass the sensing finger 263, the carrier chain will start to recede from the spacers dueto the fact that the upper surface of the plate |62 slopes downwardly, as shown at 268. As soon as the carrier chainy |53 has moved downwardly from thespacers a sufcient distance so thatvit will not disturb their spacing in the manner just described, the chain passes onto its driving sprocket 269, which is mounted upon a shaft 218 extending outwardly from a speed reducer 21| (Fig. 2). The speed reducer 21| is mounted upon a platform 212 and is driven by means of a chain drive 213 from a main drive shaft 214. Reference to the right end of Figs. 1 and 2 and the left end of Fig. 3 shows that the main drive shaft 214 is The assembled Wires geared to an auxiliary drive shaft 215, which is in turn driven-by a main driving motor 216. The motor 216 is mounted on the left end of a supporting framework 211, at the left end of which (Figs. 1 and 2) there are a pair of upright standards 218 and 280. The upright standard 219 is fixed to and supports the supporting plate |65 and the standard 288 supports the supporting plate |66. Both of the supporting plates |65 and |66 extend to the iight a short distance beyond the standards 219 and 288 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 14) and have mounted thereon brackets 28|, 282, 283 and 284, which support four pressure rolls 285, 286, 281 and 288, which are identical in construction with the pressure roll 228, and which are supported in exactlythe same manner on their associated brackets as was the pressure roll'228 on its bracket 221. As will be apparent, by reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 14, 16 and 18, the pressure rolls 285 and 286 and pressure rolls 281 and 288 are mounted to engage thel wires at dia- /metrically opposed points so that the wires will l dimensions of the guides which direct the layers of material to the assembled wires and spacers and therefore only the taping head 388 will be I described in detail. Extending/upwardly from the supporting framework 211, are three inverted V-shaped standards 386, 381 and 388, which are formed from channel members and suitable gusset plates and which bridge the framework 211 and extend upwardly therefrom to supportl tion in the standard 386. A tubular head supporting member 3|3 is rotatably mounted upon the bearing 386 and has keyed thereto a sprocket 3|4 adapted to be driven by a chain 3|5, which is in turn driven by the auxiliary drive shaft 215.

The head supporting member 3|3 has a anged portion 328, on which are mounted a pair of brackets 32| and 322, the bracket 32| being mounted directly on the iiange 328 and the bracket 322 being spaced therefrom by means of a block 323. The brackets 32| and 322 have adjustable tape reel supporting members 324 and 325, respectively, mounted thereon. The tape reel supporting members 324 and 325 are adjustable angularly with respect to the brackets 32| and 322 so that the angle at which the tapes 383 are fed from their reels 326 may be adjusted to control the angle of feed thereof to the assembled spacers and wires. Also mounted upon the iiange 328 is a substantially rectangular plate 338, which has a collar 33| xed therein by means of screws 332. The collar 33| has a tubular member 333 'fixed therein by means of set screws 334 threaded in the collar 33| and engaging the outer surface of the tubular member 333. At its left end (Fig. 19), the tubular member 333 carries an insulating bushing 335 having an annular member 336 xed to its outer end for cooperation with a brush 331 mounted upon the locking member 3| 2. The bushing 335 has an aperture 338 formed therein through which an insulated wire 339 passes for connection to the annular member 336. This wire 339 is wrapped around the tubular member 333 and extends through a slot 340 formed in the collar 33|. Mounted in the tubular member 333 and fixed thereto, by means of a set screw 34|, is a guide supporting tube 342-around which the insulated 'wire 339 is wrapped and to which there is fixed an annular insulating bushing 343.

The guide supporting tube 342 has a pair of rounded slots 344 formed therein and extending a substantial distance from the right end (Fig. 19) of the tube. There is a shouldered guide member 345, formed of two semi-circular halves, inserted into the right end (Fig. 19) of the tube 342 and having an internal diameter just slightly larger than the wires and spacers with the servings of paper tape 303 thereon. The member 345 is held in place in the end of the tube by a ring 346 surrounding the tube and compressing it against the member 345, set screws 353 being threaded in the ring 346 to compress the tube 342 on the guide member 345. Fixed to the tube 342 intermediate the ring 346 and the insulating bushing 343 are a pair of guide sleeves 341 and 348 which surround the tube and have rounded guide surfaces 349 and 350 and 35| and 352, respectively, which engage the edges of the paper tapes 303 to properly guide them into the rounded slots 344, from which they are directed to the assembled spacers and wires and are wrapped around the assembly, as shown in Fig. 21. Each of the guide members 34-1 and 348 has four pins 355, 356, 351 and 358 mounted on the outer ends thereof and these pins are adapted to receive control levers 359 and 360. It will be noted, by reference to Figs. 19, and 21, that the control levers are pivoted on the pins 355 and 358 and are urged toward the pins 356 and 351 by the paper tapes 303 when the tapes are in the position shown in Figs. 19, 20 and 21. However, if one of the tapes 303 breaks, the weight of the lever associated with the broken tape will cause the lever to rock about its pivot pin 355 or 358 and cause an extending portion 36| to engage with an annular metallic member 362 mounted on the insulating bushing 343 and electrically connected to the Wire 339. The levers 359 and 360 are in conducting engagement with the frame of the apparatus in their normal positions, and since the wire 339 is insulated from the frame of the apparatus, the engagement of the extending portion 36| of one of the levers 359 or 360 with the conducting ring 362 will close a circuit through the frame of the apparatus to the brush 331 to establish a circuit, not shown, which will stop the machine and indicate that a tape has broken.

In Figs. 21-A and 21-B,`the taping guides for applying the overlapping copper tape and the two spaced steel tapes have been shown in some detail, the same reference numerals being used as were used in Fig. 19 for the paper tape guides but being given the exponents A and B in Figs. 21--A and 21-B, respectively. It will be noted that there is only one copper tape applied to the cable and that this tape is applied in an overlapping relation, the guide members and control members being substantially the same as those disclosed in Fig. 19 for the application of paper tape, In like manner, Fig. 2 1-B illustrates the guide members and control mechanism for the two steel tapes.

It will be understood that as soon as the assembled wires and spacers leave the last pressure rolls 285, 286, 281 and 288, the twisting takeup mechanism begins to impart a twist to the assembled spacers and wires and that this twist is imparted to the spacers and wires as they pass through the taping heads. Thus, the completed cable will be wound on a reel in the takeup mechanism, which will now be described.

Takeup mechanism As pointed out in the brief description of the drawings, the twisting takeup mechanism is shown in general in Figs. 3 and 4 and in detail in Figs. 22 to 27, to which reference will now be made, The takeup mechanism comprises a cradle 315, which has a tubular projection 316 extending to the left therefrom (Fig. 22) on which the entire cradle and its associated parts are mounted. The tubular projection 316 is mounted to rotate within a bearing 311 mounted upon a standard 318. The left end (Fig. 22) of the projection 316 has a guide member 319 threadedtherein for guiding the completed cable, designated 380, to a takeup reel 38| on the cradle 315. Fixed to the cradle 315 is asprocket 382 adapted to be driven byachain 383. The chain 383, in the embodiment of the invention shown, is driven by a sprocket mounted on the end of a shaft-384 (Fig. 3) suitably journalled in the supporting framework 211. The shaft 384 carries, at is left end (Fig. 3), a gear 385, which meshes with a gear 386 mounted on a shaft 381, which is geared to the main drive shaft 214by means of gears 388 and 389. The driving connection just described will rotate the entire cradle 315 in one direction to impart a twist to the cable 380. If it is desired to twist the cable in the opposite direction, the shaft 384 may be shifted to the position in which the shaft 381 is now shown and the shaft 381 eliminated, whereby the cradle 315 will be rotated in the opposite direction. Any suitable chain tightening device may be used for tightening the chain 383 on its sprocket 382 to compensate for the shifting of the shaft 384 from one position to another, as just described.

Rotatable on the outer surface of the bearing 311 (Figs. 22 and 24) is a brake drum 390 which has cooperating therewith a pair of brake shoes 39|r and 392 mounted intermediate the ends of pivoted brake arms 393 and 394, respectively.

`spectively.,` The sleeve 398 is held on the end of a brake'rod 399 by means of a pair of nuts 400 and 40|, and the sleeve 391 is slidable on the brake 399, which is threaded at its left end (Figs. 23 and 24) to receive a threaded hand wheel 402 between which and the sleeve 391 there is interposed a coiled spring 403 encircling the brake rod 399. By tightening or loosening the hand wheel 402, any desired tension may be applied to the brake drum 390 by means of the just described mechanism.

The brake drum 390 carries a ring gear 404 which meshes with ,a gear 405 mounted upon a shaft 406, journalled in the bearing block 401, which is fixed in an aperture 408 in the cradley 315. The bearing block 401 carries a normally^ unused idler gear 409 having relatively wide teeth 4|0, which, as shown in Fig. 25, are out 'of mesh. with the gear 405, which, as shown in Fig. 22, meshes with the ring gear 404. The idler 409 is mounted upon a stud shaft 4| I, fixed in the bearing block 401 and serves no purpose when it is mounted as shown in Figs. 22 and 25. However, if the direction of twist imparted to the cable is reversed by changing the position of the shaft 384, it is necessary to change the direction of drive of the takeupreel 38| to compensate for the change in direction of twist imparted to the cable. This may be accomplished by reversing y432 so that the collar the gears 405 and 409, that fory end on their respective shafts. This will cause the gear 405 to fall into a plane where it is out of mesh with the gear 404, but in mesh with the teeth of the gear 409 and the teeth 4|6 of the gear 409 will be in mesh with the ring gear 464. From the foregoing, it isbelieved to be apparent that regardless of the direction of twist imparted to the cable, the shaft 406 will be rotated in the same direction if the proper gear changes are made.

Carried by the shaft 406 (Fig. on the end opposite the end on which the gear 405 is mounted, is a beveled gear 420, which meshes with a pair transmission housing 423. Thegear 42| is keyed to a shaft 424 and has formed on its left face (Fig. 25) a toothed clutch 425, which, as shown, is in engagement with a clutch member 426 slidably keyed to the end of a shaft 421, which is ,iournalled in and freely rotatable in the gear 422. The clutch member 426 has formed on its left end clutch teeth 428 adapted to cooperate with the teeth of a clutch 429 formed on the righthand face (Fig. 25) of the gear 422 when the clutch member 426 is shifted to the left (Fig. 25) The shaft 424 drivesthe takeup reel 38| through a roller chain 430, which meshes with a sprocket 43| secured to a collar 432 (Figs. 23 and 27). The shaft 424 is square in the area thereof surrounded by the collar 432 and is engaged by four rollers 433-433, which are rotatable in the collar will slide freely along the 380 is distributed on the The sprocket 43| and its supporting collar 432 aremounted within a casing 434, fixed to a reel supporting frame composed of angle members 435, 436, 431 and 438. The angle members 435 and 436, as shown in Fig. 22, are irregular in shape and extend outwardly to the right from the angle members 431 and 438 to provide a pair of vertically disposed surfaces 439 and 440 (Figs. 3, 4, 22l and 23) onwhich reel journal blocks 444 and 445, respectively, are mounted. Rotatably mounted in the reel journal' blocks 444 and 445 are a pair of bearings 446 and 441, respectively, having a' reel supporting screw 448 mounted therein. The screw 448 is provided with an enlarged portion 449, which tapers, as shown in 450, to a smaller diameter, as shown in 45|. The tapered portion 450 of the screw 448 is shaft 424, as the cable reel 38|.

adapted to engage in an aperture 452=fin one head of the reel 38| and the portion 45| of the screw 448 is shown threaded at 4 53 to engage a correspondingly threaded portion in the bearing 441. The bearing 441 carries a finger 454 adapted to engage in an aperture 455 in the other head of the reel 38|, whereby the reel 38t-may be fixed to the bearings 446 and 441. v

The right end (Fig. 23) of the bearing 441 has a sprocket 46|) rotatable thereon and provided with a clutch face 46|, which is normally engaged is, turning them end of beveled gears 42| and 422 rotatable in a,

angle member 41| and l315 to move the t 493 is pinned to the shaft 49|` at 494.

by a cooperating-clutch face 462 formed on a collar 463 formed integral with a hand wheel 464. The collar 463 is normally urged to the left (Fig. 23) by a series of coil springs 465 seated in pockets in the collar and abutting a hand wheel 463. Adjacent their peripheries, the hand wheels 464 and 466 have radially extending plates 461 and 468 welded to them and the hand wheel466 has an axially extending ring 469 fixed to it for supporting coil springs 410 in the space between adjacent plates 461 and 468, whereby the two hand wheels will be urged to rotate together. The` springs 465 normally hold the clutch face 462 in y engagement with the clutch face 46| so that the rotation of the sprocket 460, by the chain 430, will drive the hand wheel 464 and the springs 410 interposed between Athe plates 461 and 468 will tend to drive the hand wheel 466 with the sprocket. The hand wheel 466 is fixed to the bearing 441' and therefore the sprocket 460 will resiliently drive the bearing 441 to rotate the reel 38|. Suitable markings are placed on the hand wheels 464 and 4664 and the tension on the brake shoes 39| and 392 on the brake drum 390 may be regulated to drive the takeup reel 38| under the desired tension, as indicated by the displacement of the hand wheel 464 with respect to the hand wheel 466.

Mounted in the bottom end of the casing 434, as shown in Figs. 23 and 27, is a block 480 having the configuration at its left end (Fig. 27) of half a nut, that is, half a thread is-formed in the block 480 to cooperate with a screw 48|. The block 480 is provided with a handle 482, whereby it may be withdrawn from engagement with the screw 48| provided a spring-pressed plunger 483 has been Withdrawn from a socket 484 in the block 480. The screw 48| is journalled in a side member 485 and a side member 486 of the cradle 315 and carries on its left end (Fig. 23) a gear 481,` which ill The side members 485 and 486 of the cradle 315 are joined together at their upper ends by an they lare joined together at their bottom ends by another angle member 412. The angle members 41| and 412 have track members 413 and 414, respectively, fixed to them for engagement by rollers 415-415 rotatably mounted on the angle members 431-and 438 of the reel supporting frame. As shown in Figs. 22 and 23, two rollers 415 engage a horizontal surface of the track member 413, two rollers 415 engage a` vertical surface of the track 413, two rollers engage a vertical surface of the track member 414 and two rollers engage a horizontal surface of the -track member 414. From the foregoing, it is believed to be apparent that the reelgsupporting frame may be back and forth-@dn the cradle reel 38| mounted thereon back and forth with respect to the guide member 319 to distribute the cable 380 on the reel 38| As shown in Fig. 25, the shaft 421 is connected through the clutch member 426 to the gear 42|, whereby the reel supporting frame will be driven to the'left (Fig. 23) and this drive of the reel l supporting frame to the left (Fig. 23) will continue until the angle member 436 engages a collar 490 fixed to a shaft 49| and slidable in the transmission housing 423. The collar 490 is pinned to the shaft 49| at 492 and-a corresponding collar The collars 490 and 493 have pockets 495 and 496 formed therein in which coil springs 491 and 498, respectively, are seated. The coil springs 491 and 498 abut a shoulder 499 formed on a sleeve 500, which springs when the collar 8 is slidable on the shaft 49|. The collar 499 has an extension 50| formed thereon which enters a slot 502 in a ring 503 flxedto the clutch member- 426. VA pair of latches 504 and 505 (Fig. 26) c0- operate with the collar 499 to hold it in either of two positions, being urged into engagement with the collar by coil springs 606 and 501, respectively.

The just described mechanism comprises what is commonly known as a load and fire mechanism, whichY will hold the clutch member 426 in engagement with either the clutch face 425 or the clutch face 429, into which positions the clutch member will be moved by the snap action of the 490 or the collar 433 engages the angle members- 435 or 436. When the clutch member 426 is moved from engagement with the clutch face 425 into engagement with the clutch face 429, the direction of rotation of the` screw 48| will be reversed and the screw will continue to rotate in said reversed direction until the load and fire mechanism is reversed again by the forcing of the shaft 49| vin the opposite direction, whereupon the direction of rotation of the screw will again be reversed and it will drive in the direction originally described to thus distribute the cable 380 on the reel 38|.

It is believed that the following brief description of the mode ofy operation of the mechanism will aid materially in an understanding of the mode of operation of the apparatus.

Four strands of wire 35, 36, 31 and 38 having been drawn from the supply spools 44, 45, 46 and 41 and threaded through the machine to the reel 38| and fixed to the reel in any suitable manner, a supply of spacers 39 having been placed in the perforated barrel, and reels of paper, copper and steel tapes having been placed on the taping heads 300, 30| and 302, the motors |'|3 and 216 may be started to initiate the operation of the machine. The motor and the ring will pick up spacers 39 from the bottom of the barrel 15 and carry them up to the trough H9, where they will be dropped into the tube 83. The motor ||3 will also cause the tube 83 to vibrate through the engagement of the roller |6 with the depressions I5 -on the vibrator disc ||4, whereby the spacers carried from the bottom ofthebarrel 15 up to the trough ||9 will vbe arranged in an orderly pile in the tube 83.

The means for vibrating the tube 83 illustrates one form of device that may be used, but it will be understood that an electrical coil vibrator or any other suitable device may be used.

Spacers which have been piled up in the tube 83 will pass downwardly through the tube and assume the position shown in Fig. 8,'where they are resting on the plate |43. As the motor 216 is started, the carrier chain |53 will start to advance, the drive for the carrier chain being supplied from the motor 216 through the main drive shaft 215 and auxiliary drive shaft 214, the chain 213 and speed reducer 21| to the main driving sprocket 269. A The carrier chain |53 not only serves to advance the spacers 39 which it carries, but also drives the shaft |5| through the idler sprocket |52, which meshes with the carrier chain |53. The gear |50,which is mounted on the shaft |5|, drives the disc\ |30 and the spacers,

||3 will rotate'the ring |02 Yjust prior to the time when between adjacent spacer tilting members |40, where they will rest on their edges on the upper surface of the guide plate |44 until they reach the end of the guide plate and drop into the slots between the links |54 and |55 of the carrier chain |53. The brake band |33, in retarding the motion ofthe disc |30, will also take up any slack which there may be in the carrier chain |53 and insure that the space between the spacer tilting members |40 and the space between adjacent links |54 and |55 are in proper alignment so that the spacers will drop off of the plate |44 and into space |51 on the links.

As the carrier chain advances to the right, it will carry the spacers, which have dropped off the guide plate |44, to the right into association with the brush |90, driven by the motor |33,A

where the spacers will be spun by the brush |96 and the blast of air from the jet |93 or if the brush is not used, then by the blast of air until between the projections a slot in the spacer is engaged by the wire 35 and *fthe spacers will thus be properly aligned with the wire 35 and carried to the right by the carrier chain until they come to the position where the wire 38 is fed to the uppermost slot in the spacers and is forced into the slot by the pressure roll 220. If any spacers are not properly aligned with the wire 35, the solid portion of the spacer will cause the bar |95 to move upwardly, thereby to move the contact 201 (Fig. 10) into engagement with the contact 206 to establish circuit conditions which will stop the machine and notify an operator of the condition which exists.

A continued movement of the spacers 39 and the wires 35 and 38 to the right will bring them into that portion of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1l where the blast of air `from the jets 255 and 256 will force the spacers to the right vagainst the upwardly extending projections |51 on the links to the right of the spacers (Fig. 1l) the wires 36 and 31 are guide into the side slots in the spacers by the pressure rolls 241 and 248. As the carrier chain |53 continues to carry the assembled spacers and wires to the right, thespacers will arrive at the position shown in Fig. 14, where the stabilizing fins 260 and 26| engage the side slots in the spacersv and where the chain |53 recedes from the spacers, and as the spacers pass through this position, the sensing device 262 will determine whether the partially formed cable has arrived at this position with a spacer missing, and if a spacer is missing, the sensing finger 263 will tilt in a clockwise direction to move contact 266 into engagement with contact 261 to establish a circuit condition stopping the machine and notifying the operator that a spacer is missing from the assembly.

The assembled wires 35, 36, 31 and 38 and spacers 39 are advanced, from the point where the carrier chain |53 moves out of engagement with the spacers, by the twisting takeup mechansm and they will be drawn through the pressure rolls 285, 296, 281 and 288, which have been micrometrically adjusted, so that the wires will be forced into the slots in the spacers the desired distance, and as soon as the assembled wires and spacers move out of association with the pressure rolls 265, 286, 281 and 288, the twist will start to be imparted to the assembly while the assembly is passing through the taping mechanism. g

In the taping mechanism, there are provided the three taping heads 30|, 302 and 303, which apply two layers of paper tape, a single layer of copper tape applied in overlapping relation, and two layers of steel tape. rotated about the assembled Wires -and spacers by the chain 3|5 and the tapes are guided to the assembled spacers and wires by the guide sleeves 341 and 348, the rounded edges of which engage the edges of the tape and directl it 'through the slots 344 in the guide supporting tube 342. The direction of wrapping of the tape about the assembled wires and spacers may be reversed from that shown by driving the taping head 30| from the auxiliary drive shaft 215 instead of from the main drive shaft 214, and by driving the taping heads 300 and 302 from the main drive shaft 214, rather than from the main auxiliary i drive shaft 215. If one of the tapes being applied to the assembled spacers and wires breaks, its associated control lever 359 or 360 will be released and will move its extending portion 36| into engagement with the annular members 362 to complete a circuit from the frame of the machine through the lever which -has been released and the wire 339 and brush 331 to establish a circuit which will indicate that a tape has broken.

The reel cradle 315, which isv rotated by means of the chain 383 in either of two directions, depending upon whether the shaft 384 is in the position shown or in the position now shown 0ccupied by the shaft 381, rotates within the bearing 311 and as the cradle revolves, it carries with it the shaft 406, which carries the gear 405 in mesh with the ring gear 404. `The ring gear 404, being Xed to the brake drum 390, will be permitted to rotate only when there is a predeterf 1 mined tension on the cable 380 and therefore, if the brake shoes 39| and 392 were released from the brake drum 390, the brake drum and ring gear 404 would be free to rotate and no motion would be imparted to the takeup reel 38|. However, when brake pressure is applied to the brake drum 390, there will be a speed variation between the drum 390 and the cradle 315, whereby the gear 405 will proceed to walk about the ring gear 404, rotating the shaft 406 and rotating the takeup reel through the beveled gears 420 and 423,-

shaft 424 and chain 430 driven from the shaft 424.

The tension under which the cable is drawn through the machine will be indicated by the relative displacement of the hand wheels 454 and 466 in the following manner. 'Ihe reel 38| is driven by the sprocket 460, the clutch face 46|` of which meshes with the clutch face 462 on the collar 463 formed' integral with the hand wheel 464, which is in turn connected through the springs 410 to the hand'wheel 466 fixed to the bearing 441, on `which the reel is secured. As tension increases on the cable being drawn through the machine, the hand wheels 464 and 466 will be displaced relative to each other as the springs 410 are compressed and the amount of the displacement will be the measure of the amount of tension on the cable, and when this tension has increased to the desired amount, the brake shoes 39| and 392 may be released slightly to permit the brake drum 390 to rotate with that predetermined amount of displacement between the hand wheels 464 and 466. After `the brake shoes 39| and 392have been set to applythe,

-..ing the driven member orbearing" 441.

It is believed to be thus apparent that the The taping heads are lmoves across the cradle during the rotation of the cradle, the cable 380 Willbe distributed across the drum of the reel from one head thereof to the other, the direction of rotation of the screw 48| being reversed each time one of the l colars 490 or 493 is pushed against its associated angle member 436 or 435, with sufiicient force to snap the latches 504 or 505 into and out of latching engagement with the shoulder 499.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described herein, it will be understood that the construction shown is subject ,to numerous modifications and that applicants invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

. What is claimed is:

1. In a cable-making machine, a spacer-carrying chain having spacer-receiving pockets therein for receiving slotted spacers, means for driving said chain, meansv operable in timed relation to .the operation of the chain for feeding a spacer into each of said pockets, and means for forcing wires into the slots in the spacers.

2. In acable-making machine, a spacer-carrying chain having spacer-receiving pockets thereinfor receiving slotted spacers, means for driving said chain, means operable in timed relation to the operation of the chain forfeeding a spacer into each of said pockets, and means for forcing Wires into the slots in the spacers while the spacers are in the pockets. v l 3. In a cable-making machine, a spacer-carrying chain having spacer-receiving pockets therein for receiving slotted spacers, means for driving said chain, means operable in timed relation to the operation of the chain for feeding a spacer into each of said pockets, and means for forcing wires into the slots in the spacers while the Lspacers are in the pockets comprising a plurality ing chain comprised of a plurality of links having slotted projections extending outwardly therefrom, said projections being spaced one from another to receive' slotted spacers between them, means for directing a wire into the slots in said projections, a magazining device for feeding spacers into engagement with a wire in said slots, and means for moving the spacers to bring a slot therein into registration with said wire.

5. In a cable-making machine, a spacer-carrying chain comprised of a plurality of links having slotted projections extending outwardly therefrom, said projections being spaced one from another to receive slotted spacers between them, means for directing a ,wire into the slots in said projections, a magazining device for feedingspacers into engagement with a wire in said slots, means for moving the spacers to bring a slot therein into registration with said wire, and means for directing other wires into other slots in said slotted spacers.

6. In a cable-making machine, a spacer-carrying chain comprised of a plurality of links having slotted projections extending outwardly 

